Ignition mechanism for internal-combustion engines.



I e. F. PALDANI. IGNITION MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20.1917.

Pat ented Apr. 8, 1919.

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GEORGE F. PALDANI, 0F 'WAUKIEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PFANSTIEHL COMPANY, INC; OF NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IGNITION MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2%, 191$.

Application filed July 20, 1917. Serial No. 181,675.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. PALDANI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ignition Mechanism for InternabCombustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, refeuence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to ignition mechanism for internal combustion engines, and more specifically to interrupter mechanism commonly employed in connection with spark plug ignition systems for automobile engines. d,

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of an interrupter contained within a housing which is readily accessible for repairs, simple in construction, and which can be manufactured economically.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved interrupter or contact mechanism which functions to interrupt an electric circuit forming part of the ignition system. One of the novel features of the interrupter mechanism of my invention resides in means whereby the mechanism is rendered inoperative or incapable of controlling its electric circuit when the engine with which it is associated is rotated in a backward direction. It frequently happens in starting the engine that the engine back-fires and thus causes rotation of its crank shaft in a backward direction. The interrupter mechanism of my 1n-' vention is arranged so that if the crank shaft is rotated in the wrong direction its contacts will be held open and thus prevent sparking within theengine cylinders.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of novel constructions, arrangements, and combinations which go to make a generally more eflicient device of this character than has been employed in the past, .all'of which will be pointed out in detail'in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of'the device of my invention, some of the parts being broken away to reveal more clearly the internal construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of Fig. 1,

'the housing or cover piece being removed,

The device of my invention comprises a base plate 4; and a cover piece or housing 5 removably attached to the base plate t in a manner to be pointed out hereinafter. The base l is provided with a downwardly extending collar 6 through which the operating shaft 7 of the ignition mechanism extends. Attached to the shaft 7 on the upper side of the base plate 4 is a cam 8 carrying the several cam pieces shown at 99. If desired the cam 8 may be made a part of the shaft 7 The extreme upper end of the shaft 7 is slotted as shown at 10 and is attached to a revolving distributing arm member 11, the slot 10 of the shaft being arranged to receive a corresponding tongue carried by the distributing arm member so that locking of the distributing arm and shaft is assured. The outer end of the dis tributing arm 11 carries a conductor piece 12 connected to a flat spring13, engaging a contact 14 located on the axis of the shaft 7 and adapted to be connected to a conductor passed through the knurled extension shown at 15. Carried by the housing 5, which is made of any suitable electrical insulating material, are a plurality of contacts 16 each of which is connected through a conductor, oneof which is shown at 17, to a spark plug located in the engine cylinder. As the shaft '7 revolves the conductor plate 12 of the distributing arm 11 is arranged to provide an electric circuit through eachone of the corn tacts 16 one after another. The contact piece 12 is arranged so that there is a space of about 20/1000 of an inch between it and one of the adjacent contacts 16 when the distriouting arm lies in a position to produce,

a circuit through one of the contacts.

Carried by the base plate 4: and extending downwardly therefrom is a pin 18 on which is pivotally mounted a lever 19 held'in place on the pivot pin by the split washer 20,

The end of the lever 19 opposite its pivot is mounted within the lever 19 is a plunger 24 having a restricted portion 25 extending through an aperture provided in the end plate shown at 26. The outer end of the restricted portion 25 carries a head 27arranged to rest against the plate 26. EX- tending around the restricted portion 25 of the plunger and interposed between the enlarged lefthand end of the plunger and the plate 26 is a coiled compression spring 28 which normally tends to move the plunger to the left in this figure, the movement to the left being restricted by the head 27. Carried by the lever 19 is a contact 29 arranged to cooperate with a second contact 30 mounted on a flat spring 31 attached at 3-2 to a plate 33 in turn connected at 34 and to the base plate 4. The end of the spring 31 opposite its support 32 is arranged to engage a lug 36 extending upwardly from the plate 33. The spring 31 is arranged so that it tends to move in a counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 2) and is thereby held in engagement with the lug 36.

The mechanism just described forms the interrupter mechanism and its operation is as follows:

The shaft 7 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 causing the cam pieces 9 9 to engage the underside of the plunger 24 and tooscillate the lever 19 about its pivot 18. As the lever 19 is moved outwardly .away from the shaft 7 its contact 29 engages the contact 30 and thereby closes an electric circuit of which the contacts 29 and 30 form a part. As one of the cam pieces 9 recedes from the plunger 24 the lever 19 returnsto its original position due to the action of the flat spring 22. It will be observed that the contact mechanism is arranged so that upon closing of the contacts 29 and 30 a certain wiping effect is secured, thus assuring a good electrical connection. If for any reason the shaft 7 is rotated in a direction reverse from that shown by the arrow, as when the engine backfires, the plunger 24 is moved Within the lever 19, but the lever isheld against movement about its pivot 18 by the spring 22. The closing of the contacts 29 and 30 is thereby prevented when the operating shaft 7 is rotated in a backward direction.

To provide adjustment of the lever 19 its outer end is arranged to engage an eccentric 37, preferably constructed of fiber and held in place by a screw 38. In adjusting the contact 29 toward or away from the contact 30 the screw 38 is loosened and the occentric fiber member 37 rotated to the desired position. The screw 38 is then tightened to hold the eccentric in place. I

' The entire base plate 4 is arranged for oscillation about the shaft 7 and for the purpose of facilitating such oscillation the base plate carries an outwardly extending arm 39 provided with an aperture 40 arranged to receive a link extending from some point convenient; to the operator. EX-

tending downwardly from the base plate 4 is a boss 41 to which is attached at 42 a semicircular fiat spring 43 fitting into a pair of guide pieces 44 and 45, also extending downwardly from the base plate 4. The housing 5 carries the two steel inserts or pins 46 and 47 which extend downwardly through the apertures 43 and 49 provided in the base plate 4. The lower ends of the inserts or pins are enlarged, as shown at 50 and 51, and extend over the outer ends of the flat spring 43 and thus lock the housing 5 to the base plate. In removing, the housing from the base plate the outer ends of the flat spring 43 are grasped and moved} inwardly to release the pins 46 and 47 and thus permit the removal of thehousing. If desired a condenser chamber may be provided in the base plate 4 at 52 and a cover plate 53 employed to hold the condenser in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the Unitet States is:

1. Ignition mechanism for internal combustion engines, comprising a base, a lever pivoted thereto, a pair of cooperating con tacts one of which is carried by the lever and the other by the base, a rotatable cam for oscillating the lever, and a spring pressed plunger carried by the lever and;

in a backward direction and thus prevent oscillation of the said lever.

2. Ignition mechanism for internal combustion engines, comprising a base, a lever pivoted thereto, a pair of cooperating contacts one or" which is carried by the lever and the other by the base, a rotatable cam for oscillating the lever, a plunger carried by the lever and forming the cam engaging portion thereof, and a spring tendin to move the plunger in a direction away rom the lever pivot, said plunger being arranged to move relatively to the lever upon rotation of the cam in a backward direction and thus prevent oscillation of the said lever.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 12 day of July, A. D. 1917.

GEORGE F. PALDANI. Witnesses IV. It. NETHERCUT, MARGARET QKnnrn. 

